Introduction to Permaculture Course

Permaculture: the ethics, principles and design process - is based on living systems. Permaculture draws upon both traditional and scientific knowledge. It can be applied to physical systems (eg. farms, gardens, cities) and to social systems (eg. organisational flows, business models, school curricula) anywhere. These courses focus on permaculture as DESIGN, which can be broadly applied to land-based, urban, social or economic systems.

This course will be held at the instructors' own site, which has been designed using permaculture. This is an excellent opportunity to learn firsthand on the site.

Course Topics:

Permaculture ethics and design principles

Earth Care, People Care, Share the Surplus

Work with nature, start small and slow, emphasize multiple functions, create redundancy, promote beneficial relationships, use renewable resources, cycle resources, maximise diversity and edges, work with evolution, and be creative

Patterns in nature

Branches, webs, spirals, waves

Zones and sectors

Zone analysis – looking at elements/activities based on frequency of use or care

Sector analysis – looking at uncontrollable forces that enter a system